The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel is a toll road in New York City which connects Brooklyn to the very south end of Manhattan. The tunnel nearly passes underneath Governors Island, but does not provide vehicular access to the island. The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel has two twin tubes that carry four traffic lanes.

Some key facts about the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel:

Length: 9,117 ft, making it the longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel in the United States

The Brooklyn Battery Tunnel started construction in 1940 and was opened by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1950. One very cool fact about the Tunnel is that it can completely change the air inside the tunnel every 90 seconds, courtesy of four ventilation buildings — two in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn, and one on Governors Island.

In the 1997 feature film Men in Black, the tunnel’s Manhattan ventilation fan station is the location of the secret alien immigration terminal and the headquarters of the Men in Black.

If you have EZ Pass NJ, you can use the EZ Pass lanes but you will pay the Cash Toll Rate of $6.50.

NYC DRIVING DIRECTIONS FOR THE BROOKLYN BATTERY TUNNEL

From Manhattan: from the East Side, take the FDR Drive South and follow signs to Battery Tunnel towards I-278/Brooklyn. You’ll follow a tunnel around the south edge of Manhattan, get in the right lane exiting the tunnel, and make an immediate right to enter the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel. From the West Side, get onto 12th Ave/West Side Highway/West St, follow signs to Battery Tunnel towards I-278/Brooklyn.

From Brooklyn: take I-278 E/Brooklyn Queens Expy/Gowanus Expy to Gowanus Expy/I-478 W heading towards Battery Tunnel/Manhattan. To go to the West Side, take the WEST ST/RT-9A N exit on the left. To go to the East Side or Lower Manhattan, take the Trinity Place exit.